A Walk Down Memory Lane - Friends With Benefits
by harlequin4ever
Summary: (In collaboration with Karalena Cullen) - When Harleen bumps into Lex at a little cafe front in Gotham, the discussion gets heated before things turn for the worst. Lex's quick thinking may save the blonde's life. And will Harleen finally let the past go, or will it haunt her forever?


He can sense the tension and knows it's only a matter of seconds before the transformation. His heart pounds heavily in his chest, no matter how many times he's exposed to this situation, he'll never be able to face it without feeling the cold, panic of dread. He quickly taps at her forearm with his fingertips, urging blue veins to rise closer to the surface. The doors bang open and a loud, urgent shuffle of feet as two uniformed police officers enter.

"Police! Come out where we can see you!"

Harley is fading fast. There's no time. He pulls the protective cap from the syringe with his teeth.

"Drop the needle!"

He ignores the officer and with a quick jab the needle is inserted but before he can push the depressor to release the serum into her system, one of the officers is pulling him away. "You don't understand!" He cries and fights to claw his way back to her. "She's sick! She needs the medicine or we're all in danger!" There's a strong blow to his gut and he doubles over. "Harley!"

She can feel the needle in her skin, but Lex is being ripped away and her anger flares up. Her eyes are wide and they cloud red through the blue in an eerie manner and before anyone can move, she launches herself at the officer holding Lex, going straight for his throat.

Her fangs glisten and she catches the horrified look in his eyes right before she rips into his tender flesh. His gurgled screams are short lived once his hot blood splashes on her tongue and she drops his drained and rather dead body to the floor with a 'thunk'.

And that's when she heard the gun shot and then looked down. Bringing her fingertips to her stomach, she looked down and saw her own crimson liquid, but didn't seem to register the pain. She turned around with her lips curled up into a feral snarl, so hideous to look at, she felt the first officers shiver and the fear roll off her and she greeted it warmly.

The officer aimed her weapon again and she took a step and shot. The blonde's shoulder jerked, but still she stalked the officer like a deadly viper, ready to strike at any moment, only Harlequin wanted to play first..

Before he has a chance to catch his breath from the blow to his stomach, Harley lunges and the arms holding him are gone. In an instant the man's limp body thuds with a sickening thud to the tiled bathroom floor and the female officer draws her gun. "NO!"

He shouts and throws himself at her, but it's too late, the gun goes off with a loud snapping bang and pain rips through his hip. But the bullet only grazes his flesh and Harley's eyes fly wide as it strikes her in the stomach. Terror trickles down his spine at the look of twinkling death in her eyes as she stalks the policewoman. The woman's hands shake violently, her face is pale and her eyes wide with terror as Harley stalks towards her, and Lex doesn't know what to do. The syringe lays unbroken on the floor less than three feet from him. He could save this woman's life, but he'd risk his own to do so as he'd have to get past Harley.

But there's another dilemma that has him frozen to the spot. Harley's been shot, if he were to inject her with the serum now, he'd be risking her life as well. The serum would counteract the vampirism and its healing capabilities with it, but if he doesn't inject her now, this innocent woman is about to be lunch. "Harley..." He croaks out, applying pressure to his own wound at his side. His own hot blood trickles quickly over his hand. "Is this what you want?" He holds up his blood drenched palm to her. "Mine's much tastier..."

The smell of all the blood and fear was too over powering and played with her senses. Her mind was a scramble of in human snarls and growls and she licked her lips hungrily, over her bloody fangs. About to tackle the female officer, she smelt something...different. Something familiar.

She slowly turned around to focus red eyes on Lex and instantly to his wound. She hissed violently, but her face twists in confusion and horror. It was still blood, but it smelt... Nasty. And deep, deep down, she couldn't hurt him. No matter what she was or how far gone.

Her own blood kept seeping out of her wounds, but somehow she talked to him with her own voice in his mind. ~But she's seen too much. She'll talk! I have to! For both of our sakes.~ She blinked and then it was pure animal and she slammed the woman against the glass and tore into her throat.

He stood stunned for a moment as she spoke into his mind. To hear /Harley/ through the monster was a truly amazing feat indeed, and his mind began to reel with all kinds of possibilities. Her words also struck a chord with him on some other level. He simply bowed his head in a nod of understanding and acceptance. But he had to turn away as Harley ripped into the woman's throat. The scream on the young woman's lips died almost instantly to a sickening, chocking gurgle as her blood gushed. He took the opportunity to get the syringe from the floor. He had the serum in readiness, and when he heard the hollow sound of the woman's body hitting the floor, he turned his attention back in that direction. "Harley?"

The fear she craved, she accepted it gleefully and once finished, she turned her gaze back to Lex. Blood dripped from her lips and her red eyes pierced his, then shot to the door. He was standing in between and she noticed the syringe in his hands.

But that's not what she wanted. She wanted more. More blood, more screams, more fear. She let out a gruesome laugh and then shot towards the door, hoping to be faster than him, letting the animal take over

She was fast, but his reflexes despite being relatively human...were quicker, or at least quick enough to jab the needle into her side and de-plunged the serum from syringe into her. She kept running though, and he ran after her. It would only be a matter of seconds before she 'normalized' and he was uncertain as to whether or not the blood of the policewoman had been enough to heal her gunshot wound completely.

Letting out a half growl half shriek at the needle in her side, she ran hoping she would make it outside or something to attack again before changing, but her legs failed her and she fell to the ground. Her body twitched and she fell silent, then limp. A few agonizing seconds passed before she slowly rolled over with a grunt.

A little cry escaped her bloody lips as her fangs retracted and her eyes unclouded and shined the bedazzling blue again, pulling out the syringe. "Lex?" Getting up slowly, she felt her shoulder and stomach, half healed, but not enough. Her head was pounding and it wasn't until she looked up, that the few people in the small cafe were gaping at her

He saw her fall; he wasn't quick enough to reach her before. But he was at her side almost immediately after, he watched with bated breath as her fangs retracted and he saw her come back with an agonized groan. "It's okay. You're okay now..." He tried to soothe her. She sat up and he pulled her against his side for support. "I need to check your wound...see if it's healed..."

He explained as he began to lift her bloodies shirt. People were gaping and crowding around them, and he knew he needed to get her out of here. Her wound was only half healed, still oozing a steady flow of blood as her heart pumped fast. But he was certain it was safe to move her. He shifted out from beside her and stood in a kneeling crouch so he could lift her up into his arms. He carried her bridal style, quickly to his car and lay her down in the backseat.

"We'll go to my house; I've got everything there to fix you up. Just...try to stay alert. Keep your eyes open." He started the engine and roared out onto the road. His eyes kept glancing in the rear view mirror to look at her, check on her and his face creased with worry. "Maybe it would help you stay awake...if you talked to me Harley."

Blinking every few seconds, her eyes un-blurred and she realized her mouth was dry, despite tasting blood and the disgusting taste, which was obviously the 'medicine' in the syringe. Her mind started speeding up and she realized she was in his car, lying down on the backseat. Looking up at the roof, she slowly moved her head to the side to look at him in the rear view mirror blankly for several seconds before yawning and gave another blink.

He pulled into the drive, the car fishtailing and spitting gravel. Had he missed something? Her wound hadn't looked that bad? For fuck sakes Lex she could be hemorrhaging internally! He screamed at himself as he tore up the driveway. "Hang on sweetie, we're almost there" He pulled right up practically onto the front steps. He didn't bother to cut the engine; he just threw his door open and rushed to get her from the backseat. He ran with her in his arms to the house and cursed the security as he fumbled with it in the kitchen on their way into his lab.

Part of her that could worry, did worry. Why was she not able to speak? It wasn't like something was stopping her; she just couldn't find the will. No sound, though she did want to scream and cry, but nothing. Her eyes looked on, but not wide eyed or fear filled, but normal and detached. One second she was trembling in his arms, her hands grasping the back of his shirt, the next she kind of went limp and her eyes glazed over and her mind wandered.

She could hear Lex rushing to get her to his lab, but in her mind it seemed to slow right down, like slow motion. His heartbeat hammering right next to her, her own one faintly beside hers. The click of his shoes along the hardwood floors, she could even hear the clock ticking in the background somewhere in the place, but she imagined swirling around in a big ball gown. One she had worn so many years ago, but bigger. And she was dancing, hearing that same song over and over again, something was missing... No, /someone/.

Blinks.

The only man she would ever dance that dance with, like they did back then.

Bruce.

He taught her how to dance. And till the day she died, she would remember that dance. She could still feel the silk covering her eyes and the feel of the pretty dress against her skin. How is that she was re living it? Had she gone completely mad? Especially at a time like this, she should be worrying about if she was going to die or not. Not actually thinking about old memories and new daydreams. But she can't, she's stuck...

And so she just looks on with her dazed expression waiting for Lex to be brilliant like he always is. He'll fix her; he'll make her all shiny and new. And she put her life immediately into his hands.

He lay her gently down on the table and rushed to grab his surgical kit. He also uncovered the MRI machine and cat scans. A little extravagant, perhaps, but he was grateful for the purchases now. He needed to determine what exactly was going on inside of her, if it was internal hemorrhaging he had very little time. He needed to stop the bleeding and fix whatever damage had been done to whatever organs. He judged by the location of the bullet that the damage was most likely done to her right kidney, and judging by her difficulties in breathing he didn't know if that was from the shock, or if the bullet might also have torn through part of her lung. He unlocked the wheels on the table and rushed to get her into the MRI machine.

Feeling herself being laid down on the table and the lights burn into her eyes, but she doesn't notice. Everything is...slow, nothing. She moved her head and looked around the room but didn't see anything. Eyes still blank and her face expressionless, she was just lost.

The machine worked quickly, and as each layer was breached with the resonance of the magnetic field, he let out a groan. His predictions were spot on which meant that he would have to go in to fix the damage. The operation would require quick hands, sophisticated high tech tools and technology not to mention an exorbitant amount of blood. He praised the gods that he had had the foresight during her pregnancy to draw and store several liters of her blood.

He also thanked the gods that it was their pregnancies that initiated his expenditure on all the new equipment he now had to work with. He set to work quickly, pulling the table back out into the middle of the floor. He placed the mask over her face and turned on the anesthetic. As she drifted off into chemically induced sleep, he cut at her clothing and cleaned the areas on her stomach where he would need to go in.

And she was dreaming. Dreaming of a time where she was the most happiest. The man with those breathtaking crystal blue eyes and that dark sexy hair. He was the most stubborn and charming man she had ever met. He had always known how to get the best and worst of her. And she watched along all those memories, one by one. Under the tree where they first made love, his dark massive bedroom with the best pain ever imaginable...

Their first fight, destroying his master bedroom, where they danced for what seemed like an eternity, her favorite lingerie in that old bay mirror...

She floated along, just there in the background. Not dead, not alive, just nothingness.

Them bursting into her apartment, not even making it to the bed, so the couch then got it. Then afterwards in the shower, she could smell the exact same body wash he had lathered into her skin. Like she was back there again, every cherished memory came back to life. Re living them one by one was so beautiful and what haunted her the most.

They were her very private and personal memories not even shared with her closest friend. She never wanted to open them until the time was right, when she really had nothing left, nothing to cling on to for dear life. It wasn't right, she could feel it and they kept pouring out, she was losing control. And she couldn't stop it. Her body jerked violently as her mind tried to shut down. She couldn't, she wouldn't feel all those things for him. It was too hard to bear. Her nails clawed at the table and her back arched and slammed back into it, in the back of her mind, hoping it would stop.

Finally managing to cauterize the tear to her renal artery in her kidney and effectively stop the hemorrhaging and bleeding, all that was left was to sew her back up and start the blood transfusion. But suddenly her unconscious body jerked and lurched on the table, and her blood pressure dropped dangerously low. Alarms blared at him and there was no time... at this rate she would go into defib within seconds, he'd have to start the transfusions /now/.

Everything was already set and ready; he simply had to insert the needle into the IV catheter which he had already attached to her arm. He did this and calculated the drip rate quickly in his head, ~1 unit of blood over 4 hours at 15 drops per ml, that's 250/4 times 15/60 (simplified to 1/4) equals 250/16 equals 125/8 which equals 015.6 rounded up to 16 drops per minute. ~ He set the drip rate at 32 drops per minute, doubling the rate and compressing the transfusion time to 2 hours.

Within seconds her blood pressure was steadily starting to rise and within minutes she was stable enough for him to continue the last of the surgery. He closed her up, cleaned her up and checking her vitals he was pleased to see that everything was still stable on steadily rising back to healthy levels. He removed his gloves and washed himself in the large, steel basin sink and wheeled her from the lab to set her up into a more comfortable room. He lay her gently down in one of the downstairs guestrooms beds and pulled the covers up over her pale, naked body.

He checked her vitals once more, before going off in search of some clothes that might fit her. She would be waking soon and he was certain she preferred to wake fully clothed. Which reminded him, he would also have to run back down to the lab for a dose of antiemetic/antinausea liquid to counteract any nausea and wooziness she might feel for when she comes out of anesthesia.

He wanted to ensure that she was as comfortable and as well cared for as possible. It was the very least he could do, after all, she was in this mess because him.


End file.
